Visit with Don (aka The General) on various land use issues. Find out what he thinks about current topics related to recreation, land use or the environment.

Friday, May 23, 2014

2014 NCAT Tour - North Coast "TMR Genie" Has Left the Bottle

The QWR/BRC Official NCAT SUV

As HQ prepares for its 2014 North Coast Access Tour
(NCAT) early next week, it is reminded there are no silver bullets or shortcuts
when it comes to OHV-related access issues.
The 2005 Travel Management Rule’s Subpart B planning efforts over the
last nine years have been challenging for both users and agency officials.

Nowhere has this complexity been more evident than on the
Smith River National Recreation Area located on the Six Rivers National Forest
in Northern California. During that
time-period there have been stakeholder groups, lawsuits, a stipulation, and lack
of a substantive or meaningful relationship between the agency and county.

As the news article states below, it is my hope that the
access community can find a way to support an alternative that embraces the
tone, direction, and spirit of the earlier stakeholder process. For better or worse, the “TMR genie” has left
the bottle a long time ago and it is time to settle on a base network of
routes. Once that foundation is
codified, I believe it will allow the agency and users to ID some post subpart
B projects that enhance the OHV experience.

Over the Memorial Holiday, HQ will ground truth the
preferred Alternative with local interests to see if it is something that OHV
can work with either as presented or in a modified version. To the agencies credit, it does appear they
have listened to some of our concerns by proposing the designation of the
305.125 4WD trail that at one time been slated for closure.

On the other hand, the preferred alternative closes the
only single-track motorcycle entrance-to-exit trail on the unit. Strangely, the closure of that trail had
never been proposed in any of the earlier discussions.

2003 Post-Biscuit Fire Motorcycle Tour of Smith River NRA

It is my goal to also stop by and visit with my access
contacts in Humboldt County to get an update on TMR on the southern end of the
Forest and to see what new OHV opportunities might exist on private or county
lands. Hope to see some of you on the tour. Thanks to all of you who make these efforts possible!

1 comment:

I believe this commentary clearly identifies the complexity and time management of a very difficult process to KEEP and OPEN OHV opportunities. The effort here is shown just what it takes to get trails open. Time, energy, expense, patience and dedication to sport is VERY evident.CLOSURE IS NOT AN OPTION. It must be dealt with using experience, and pressure upon the agencies that manage our lands. the comment of Land Use Agency and the County is troublesome.These agencies work for us, not the environmental community that pours resources to keep the public out or lands they paid for, and own.It is up to the responsible OHV community to engage, and that means letting your elected officials know your thoughts on this issue, and to reach into your OWN wallet and help fight back on YOUR behalf. That takes financial resources to assist those that are fighting the good fight. This just ONE battle that is going on.PLEASE help those that are boots on the ground, and contact Quiet Warrior for more information if you can assist. A hundred OHV folks donating just $5.00 bucks a month can create a war chest of $6,000 a year. Those valuable funds cover expenses like fuel and hotels costs to attend, and FIGHT for your rights.If you love OHV, and want your children and grandchildren to have OHV opportunity in the future, GET INVOLVED.Thanks for listening. Dave PickettDistrict 36 Legislative Action Office Director.Past President 2004-2013AMA Off Road Congressman 1999-Current

Learn About The General

Don is owner of Quiet Warrior Racing, a recreation, land-use, and political consulting company. Don is also a consultant to the BlueRibbon Coalition and serves as their western representative. Don has over 23 years in the field of recreation and land-use advocacy. Don served as a commissioner on the California Department of Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. Don has also served on many recreation stakeholder groups and advisory committees. Don served on the USDA Region 5 Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (2009 - 2014). Don has a BA from St. Mary’s College of California and belongs to the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals.